Best Power Tools for Home Repair

The cordless drill is the Swiss Army knife of power tools. It can drive screws, drill holes, and even perform light grinding and polishing with special attachments. They can be useful for hanging pictures on the wall, installing TV mounts, putting in speakers and ceiling fixtures, and building or repairing furniture.

Many cordless drivers have a keyless chuck that allows you to change drill bits quickly and easily. You'll also find it handy to have an adjustable clutch setting for driving screws into different materials without damaging them. The battery should be removable for charging or changing out, and the tool should have a battery life indicator, letting you know when it's time to recharge.

An impact driver is a powerful tool, but it's also one of the most misunderstood. It’s not a drill or a screwdriver; it's a power driver designed to drive screws into materials that would otherwise tear up a basic hand tool.

For example, you can use an impact driver to drive six-inch screws through wood, metal studs, and even into concrete. It has more power than the drill/driver described above because it offers a concussive force in addition to a rotational one.

This is the sort of tool you’ll want to practice using before you employ it on a house repair to avoid further damage. In a pinch, you can use it for drilling a hole, but because of the concussive force, that hole will not be as pretty and precise as one made by a drill.

If you want to remove paint, putty, or other surface coatings, an electric sander is the best tool for the job. You can use a sander to prep furniture, walls, decking, and floors for paint or stain. And, while you can get sandpaper and do the work by hand, an electric sander will save you hours of back-breaking (and hand-breaking) labor. This is a great tool for anyone who wants to refinish furniture, repaint a room, or stain a deck or floor.

A grinder is another option for removing paint or other coatings, but it has a much rougher surface than a sander. This hefty tool is often used to grind down metal surfaces. In fact, people often use grinders to sharpen blades and other tools to make them more effective. However, they are not well suited to finishing wood surfaces or walls because they are too rough and intense. Consider what projects you’ll be working on most to decide between a grinder or sander.

There are simply so many kinds of saws out there that it might be difficult to know where to start. Unlike traditional hand saws that are used to trim tree branches and require significant physical effort to operate, power saws are a favorite tool of many homeowners. If you’re doing your own building or demolition projects, electrical saws can shorten the project time.

Depending on the type of work you’ll be doing, like putting in a deck or adding or taking out a wall, you’ll want to research the different types of saws available. Here’s a basic breakdown of a few:

• A miter saw offers great control and precision for short, angled cuts, such as those needed to make molding fit together neatly. With the right blade, it can also cut metal.
• A circular saw resembles a miter saw (both have a circular blade) but has more mobility because it’s not attached to a mount.
• A jigsaw is light and flexible and can make sharply angled cuts, so it’s very useful for cutting designs into wood.
• A reciprocating saw offers strength but not precision, so it’s good for demolition and raw cuts, but not for cutting smooth pieces.

If you have a lot of painting to do, a paint sprayer can get the job done faster. Unlike rollers and brushes which leave marks and brush strokes, a paint sprayer will give you a smooth finish on your surface. You can use it to paint walls, furniture, car parts, and more.

To prevent paint sprayer clogs, you’ll need to remember to correctly dilute your paint and clean your tool after each use. This tool is priceless if you have a big painting job ahead.

A shop vacuum is a versatile tool for home repair and cleanup, and it’s certainly handy for getting piles of wood shavings off the workshop floor, but you can also use it to clean up water, mud, and debris after a flood or storm.

Also known as a wet/dry vacuum, the ability to deal with liquid sets it apart from other vacuums. It can get carpet soap out of the rug you’re cleaning, take care of large spills, and it offers undeniable power for sucking up dust and dirt from your floors. Some models even have attachments that allow you to use them as leaf blowers as well.

To get the most out of the tools in your garage or workshop, be sure to place them on their power tool chargers in between uses. A good power tool care tip is that you should clean each item after use so that the parts move smoothly the next time you need to tackle a home project. Additionally, storing tools in an organized tool chest will keep them protected from dust and grime so they’ll last longer.